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May. 30, 2018 | 12:22 AM

Brexit tangle raises prospect of Irish reunification

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's Labour Party, walks with Professor Deirdre Heenan and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, May 25, 2018. Liam McBurney/Pool via Reuters

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The wrangle over what will happen to the Irish border after Brexit has put the previously unthinkable possibility of reunification of the island of Ireland firmly on the political agenda. Support for staying in the European Union is increasing in Northern Ireland as the Brexit negotiations falter, according to a study released this month by Queen's University Belfast.

The poll of more than 1,000 residents of Northern Ireland also found 47 percent supported holding a referendum, although only 21 percent said they would currently favor a united Ireland.

In the 2016 referendum, Northern Ireland voted 56 percent to remain in the EU but, like Scotland, was outvoted by England and Wales and the overall result was 52 percent for Brexit.

Reunification 'risk'Unlike pro-EU Scotland, Northern Ireland could technically stay in the European Union by voting to join the Republic of Ireland.